Renewable energy is gaining ground. In some places, though, it may be gaining too much too fast. The infrastructure isn’t able to handle the large amounts of added energy from renewables, in countries like China and Germany. Providing adequate energy has always presented challenges. With the new technologies that are available today, new opportunities, as well as new difficulties, arise. Although the transition may seem problematic, the benefits are well worth it. Consumers can help move the transition forward by learning more about renewables and purchasing renewable energy when possible. As a country and a planet, we need to invest in new technologies, work to increase grid flexibility and be open to new ideas if we are to navigate the move to a more renewable energy generation mix smoothly.
Continue reading... →Environmentalism has taken many different forms over the years. Recently, say the past decade or so, it’s been largely relaxed and passive. Now however, that’s changed in the U.S. as there’s a new administration in town that doesn’t have the same views on environmentalism and climate change as did the previous administration. No matter where you stand on politics, the last eight years were progress for our planet but they weren’t good enough. If you’re not sure where to begin to keep environmentalism alive in 2017, here are plenty of options.
Continue reading... →The Women As Game Changers network is a powerful response to having reached a tipping point where an untapped, unwavering, fierce feminine energy is rising. Rising to resist the closing of our borders, the closing of the EPA, the closing of affordable healthcare for our families, the closing of minds. Our core purpose is to engage, activate and support the women who have dedicated their lives and their labors to creating a peaceful, sustainable world for all. Through training’s, gatherings, collaborations, preservation, sustainability, equality and protection, Women As Game Changers is transforming the women who are transforming the world. If our purpose and mission resonates with you, join us as we come together in the Women As Game Changers training, conferences or webinar, and become a member of Women As Game Changers on our website and Facebook group.
Continue reading... →While Ohio’s legislature has tried to further weaken the state’s renewable energy standards, lawmakers from two other states – Maryland and Michigan – have beefed up their state’s standards. Maryland is the latest state to do so. Its general assembly passed a law last year that required 22 percent of the electricity sold in the state to be produced by renewable sources by 2020. The old standard had been 20 percent by 2022. In December, Michigan, voted to increase its renewable energy standard to 15 percent from 10 percent by 2021. The legislation also set a voluntary goal of satisfying 35 percent of the state’s electricity demand through a combination of renewable sources, energy efficiency and demand reduction.
Continue reading... →Roughly 250,000 people call the “domestically dependent” sovereign Navajo Nation home. It is a place full of diverse landscapes, tradition, beauty, and history. Many inhabitants live in such remote places that simple amenities like running water, power and lights aren’t available. Miles of rugged dirt roads separate neighbors and the cost of running power and water to each home becomes fiscally impossible. Thus, over 18,000 homes are without power. Part of a larger ongoing operation run by Elephant Energy, known as Eagle Energy to the Navajo, a non-profit dedicated to resolving the energy access issues in Africa and in the Navajo Nation, Eagle Energy and The Honnold Foundation partnered with Goal Zero, The North Face, and Clif Bar to install solar panels and lights on rural homes and to donate to an entrepreneurship program Eagle Energy has already set in motion.
Continue reading... →Several of the women who appeared onstage at the sixth annual Women in the World Summit in April share the wisdom that has helped shape their lives.
Continue reading... →In a big win for renewable energy, the cost of solar and wind power has plummeted in recent years, making it the same price as traditional fossil fuels in about 30 countries, according to a new report from the World Economic Forum (WEF). The cost of solar energy has dropped 80% since 2009, and wind energy has dropped by 30% in the last three years. This shift means more countries have reached “grid parity” — where the cost of fossil fuels and renewable energy are the same.
Continue reading... →China has announced that it will invest $361 billion in renewable energy through the end of the decade — another signal that the world’s most populous nation is serious about combating climate change. The investment, Reuters reports, will continue China’s shift away from coal and other dirty fuels. In addition to fighting climate change, investing in clean energy should help China address its air-pollution problems. Major cities like Beijing are often blanketed in smog, due largely to coal burning and other industrial activity.
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